The Government will pay two thirds of the wages of staff in pubs, restaurants and other venues forced to close under new coronavirus restrictions, it emerged tonight.
The latest version of the Covid-19 furlough scheme will protect jobs and provide "reassurance and a safety net" as the country braces for a "difficult winter", Rishi Sunak insisted.
But critics warned it failed to cover businesses that have been clobbered by the pandemic, but aren't legally ordered to shut to tackle the spread of infection.
And as local lockdowns prepare to shutter venues in large swathes of northern England, there are fears for their future. A joint statement tonight by the mayors of Greater Manchester, North Tyne, Sheffield City and Liverpool City said:
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